News

Colne supermarket plans could be rejected

PLANS to turn a derelict Colne mill into a supermarket and pub could be refused this week.

Developers want to build a Lidl supermarket and a Marston’s pub on the Glen Mill site, but the scheme could be refused because of traffic concerns.

The mill, last used by BSN Medical as a textile dyeing and finishing factory in 2009, is on the congested North Valley Road.

Council planners are currently recommending the scheme be rejected when it is discussed by councillors on Thursday.

They said that the increase in traffic would create ‘additional congestion and result in further decrease in air quality’, while there are also concerns about noise impact.However, talks are still taking place with the developer, and the council said the ‘two issues were at an advanced stage of re-assessment’, which could alter the recommendation.

A spokesman for architects Plan A, who are working on plans for the Lidl store, said: “The application site occupies a prominent position on the busy North Valley Road.

“However, the site presents a poor quality feature on the streetscene and significantly detracts from the visual amenity of the area.

“While the site has been secured by temporary fencing, it presents a significant safety threat.”

A spokesman for Marston’s said: “The development proposed by Mars- ton’s Inns and Taverns is for a high-quality building as a food-led public house to enhance the community aspect of the wider area by providing a dining and drinking establishment on the site.”